The Nights
by Maomaoyu
Summary: Bumblebee knows that Optimus will always be there for him.


Disclaimer: I don't own any form of Transformers or "The Nights" by Avicii.

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It was a quiet night in the scrapyard.

The sky was filled with twinkling stars, shining bright against their inky black canvas. A full moon sat in the center of the painting, glowing gently. Crickets sang their song, fireflies flitted amongst the grass and small forest creatures like mice scurried about.

Denny and Russel were inside their house, both sound asleep in their respective rooms. Strongarm and Sideswipe lounged outside under the stars, both unknowing having moved near each other for warmth in their slumber. Grimlock was in dinobot form, snoring and curled up in his makeshift nest of scrap metal and fabrics. Fixit had fallen asleep on the consul, arms still posed to type in a code he had never finished. It was the epitome of peaceful.

Bumblebee smiled softly at his team, arms crossed loosely and a fond look on his faceplates. He was undoubtedly proud of them, every single one. A smirk crept onto his faceplate when he saw the two youngest cadets, both now curled up side by side and hugging each other. Bumblebee thought of grabbing the camera and getting blackmail material, but decided against it. Even Strongarm and Sideswipe deserved that much. They would be in for a surprise when they woke up anyways.

Walking over to Grimlock, the yellow mech expertly crept around the snoozing dinobot without making any noise, and reached behind the larger for a case that was hidden among a rack of junk. He smiled at the wooden case in his hands, glad to be able to feel the cool wood under his servos. It had been a long time since he had been able to play.

Turning away from his team with one last look, Bumblebee quietly made his way into the woods surrounding the scrapyard. Wooden case in hand, the mech walked to the clearing he knew was in the heart of the forest. The only sound during the trip was the soft crunch of dirt and small twigs under Bumblebee's pedes.

Finally reaching his destination, Bumblebee sat on a large rock on the edge of the clearing, placing the case in his lap. Unclasping the latches on the side, he uncovered a simple but beautiful wooden guitar. He hummed as he strummed a note, listening at the pitch before tinkering with the tuning pegs.

During his time on Cybertron, Bumblebee had requested a guitar be made for him, loving the sound the instrument made but being unable to play one because it was too small. With a few large planks of wood, durable nylon and enlarged blueprints, the yellow mech had quickly been donned with a bot-sized guitar. All the parts of the instrument that had required some type of metal had been replaced with a superior Cybertronian counterpart, making the guitar a very unique one.

Quickly plucking out the C major scale, Bumblebee took his time in warming up before playing, wanting to just let the music wash over him. After a few minutes of this, he closed his optics and let his hands and mind lead him.

Bumblebee liked his team, he liked his position and he liked how he was living now. But sometimes, even a war veteran like him needed a break. Handling a pair of rowdy younglings, a dinobot, a persistent minicon, and two humans was hard work. Not to mention leading them. Bumblebee sometimes found himself wanting to be a cadet again, a simple soldier that had little meaning in the grand scheme of things. Not a famous bot, not the scout of the team that ended the war, not the "Mech Who Ended Megatron."

But he was a lieutenant now, a leader of a team stopping another rising evil on Earth. He needed to act like what he had become.

Bumblebee thought of the greatest leader he knew, a bot that had become his father figure; Optimus. He had always looked up to the other mech and continued aiming to please him even when Optimus was considered deceased.

The yellow mech sighed. He couldn't have somebot hold his servo forever; he needed to act like the leader he had unconsciously become. After all, he hadn't wanted to be a useless bot for the remainder of his life after the war. It was why he had chosen to become a street cop. It was better than sitting around bathing in riches and fame that he had gotten for simply doing the right thing.

Letting his servos lead themselves, a simple tune sprang from the strings of the guitar in the mech's servos. And before he knew it, Bumblebee started to sing.

 _Hey, once upon a younger year  
When all our shadows disappeared  
The animals inside came out to play  
Hey, went face to face with all our fears  
Learned our lessons through the tears  
Made memories we knew would never fade_

 **Bumblebee was back at Tyger Pax. The scout and his teammates were on the edge of the Decepticon base, about to sneak in for a surprise attack. Suddenly, laser blasts hit the ground around them, and all of the previously assembled bots scattered to avoid them. Shots were fired and fights were fought, but the next thing Bumblebee saw were all the mechs he had come to be friends with being shot down one by one. A Decepticon grabbed him roughly and forced him inside the base.**

 **Those next breems were the worst in his life.**

 _One day my father—he told me,  
"Son, don't let it slip away."  
He took me in his arms, I heard him say,_

 _"When you get older_  
 _Your wild heart will live for younger days_  
 _Think of me if ever you're afraid."_

 **Bumblebee was sitting on the roof of the Autobot base, looking up at the stars. He didn't so much as twitch when he felt someone else take a seat next to him.**

 **"Bumblebee."**

 **Optimus was met with silence. After all, it was the only thing he could receive.**

 **Bumblebee clicked in surprise when he felt a large servo clasp his shoulder and pull him closer to the mech beside him. He turned to his leader and chirped questioningly, tilting his head to the side. Optimus only sighed at seeing the tired look on his scout's faceplate.**

 **"Bumblebee… I know this is hard for you. But your sacrifice was not in vain." The leader looked warmly down at the mech beside him. "You have played a major role in getting the Allspark away from Decepticon servos. I am proud of you." Bumblebee leaned against Optimus, not really caring at the moment how unprofessional it was. The grip on his shoulder tightened slightly, pulling the yellow mech even closer to lean on Optimus' chasis.**

 **"Do not be afraid, I will always be here."**

 _He said, "One day you'll leave this world behind  
So live a life you will remember."  
My father told me when I was just a child  
These are the nights that never die  
My father told me_

 **Bumblebee could barely keep his optics online. All he could tell was that he was being carried. Warm, comforting servos held him close as the mech took long strides down a hallway. The scout warbled quietly and nuzzled closer to the warmth next to his cheek.**

 **A soft chuckle was heard and the deep baritone voice of his leader whispered five words that Bumblebee remembered from that day on.**

 **"Do not forget this night."**

 _When thunder clouds start pouring down  
Light a fire they can't put out  
Carve your name into those shining stars  
He said, "Go venture far beyond these shores.  
Don't forsake this life of yours.  
I'll guide you home no matter where you are."_

 **Bumblebee vented heavily as he stared at the groundbridge before him, pedes almost visibly shaking at the sight of the blue and green portal. This was his first mission after the events at Tyger Pax. The scout couldn't hear Ratchet's impatient voice telling him to "get his aft through that ground bridge before he wasted too much power," all he heard was the harsh taunts of Megatron echoing from a distant memory.**

 **Just as the medic looked like he was about to close the groundbridge and send Cliffjumper on the mission instead, Bumblebee took a step towards the daunting swirl of energy. And abruptly stopped. A multitude of thoughts ran through his head. What if he screwed up this mission like he did at Tyger Pax? What if he caused his team to lose more than a voicebox?**

 **Optimus' voice echoed in his mind, vanquishing any discouraging thoughts that had wormed their way into Bumblebee's processor. The yellow mech took a deep breath and continued to walk, not looking back even once before he passed through the groundbridge.**

 ** _"Do not let this happening be a hindrance. It is already a part of you. You should take advantage of it." A smile. "If that does not work, know that I will be there to remind you."_**

 _One day my father—he told me,  
"Son, don't let it slip away."  
When I was just a kid I heard him say,_

 _"When you get older_  
 _Your wild heart will live for younger days_  
 _Think of me if ever you're afraid."_

 _He said, "One day you'll leave this world behind  
So live a life you will remember."  
My father told me when I was just a child  
These are the nights that never die  
My father told me_

 **"That punk is Sideswipe. And while he's about as exciting as this job gets, he's not actually dangerous. I'll just…"**

 **Bumblebee trailed off as he caught sight of the water in the fountain before Optimus' statue. He gasped as two glowing optics appeared in the water, soon fulling forming the familiar faceplate of his previous leader. He looked up at the statue behind the fountain, and back at the reflection. Bumblebee only looked bewilderedly at the face of Optimus in the water before a questioning voice snapped his out of his stupor.**

 **"Sir? What is it?" Strongarm turned to look at her partner, confused as to why he had stopped mid-sentence.**

 **"Do-do you see that?" Bumblebee placed his servos to grip the outer edge of the fountain, staring down at the mysterious reflection of his 'deceased' leader.**

 **Strongarm walked up to stand beside Bumblebee, also peering down at the water. When she saw nothing but water, she** **resignedly said, "That's okay Lieutenant, you meditate. I'll handle this perp!"**

 **Bumblebee didn't move from his spot as Strongarm quickly made her way to apprehend said "perp." He continued to stare open mouthed at the reflection.**

 **"Optimus?"**

 _These are the nights that never die  
My father told me  
Hey, hey_

Bumblebee stopped playing after the song ended and let the final note fade away. He didn't have to wait very long before he felt a familiar and welcomed presence manifest in front of him. A transparent servo cupped the side of his face.

Opening his optics, he smiled and greeted the mech in front of him.

"Hey Optimus."

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When I heard this song by Avicci I knew a fic had to written! If you're wondering, the song is "The Night's" by Avicii. Go check it out! It's a great song with a terribly catchy tune!

Please review!


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